


Modern Flame

by baekeries



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternative Universe - FBI, Anal Sex, BaekYeol - Freeform, Blow Jobs, ChanBaek - Freeform, Crack Treated Seriously, Exhibitionism, Fluff, M/M, MAMA AU, Masturbation, Mentions of kidnapping, Smut, Voyeurism, camboy sort of, idk what else to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-03-18 09:27:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13678899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baekeries/pseuds/baekeries
Summary: In a world where the gifted are always in the spotlight and prone to danger, FBI agents are tasked to protect them. Baekhyun’s assignment: Chanyeol, the boy who plays with fire.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *first chapter can be read as a standalone
> 
> it was supposed to be 100% crack at first but then this happened. I wanted to post this earlier but I got caught up with CNY preparations. Happy Valentine's u babies
> 
>  **Warnings:** humiliation kink, ummm spying on someone (??) idk it's basically a pwp lmfao

“Not again,” Baekhyun groaned. This assignment was fucking ridiculous. He signed up for this job because he wanted to  _ protect _ the Gifted, not babysit them. But right now, all he was doing was spying on a man around his age, and said man was watching some cooking show, but he couldn’t help it because it was his job to watch his every move. Yes, even when Baekhyun was at home at 1am, like now.  _ Lies,  _ his conscious mocked.  _ You love this, don’t you? _

“Shut up,” Baekhyun muttered to himself, cheeks turning pink. He watched as the man behind the camera moved his laptop to his side, giving Baekhyun a perfect view of his solid and very naked upper half. Arms so chiseled, a lean but firm chest, and a stunningly handsome face. The lights in Chanyeol’s room were bright, allowing Baekhyun to admire his chiseled face.  _ So pretty. _

Chanyeol was an absolute work of art. At the age of 24, he was easily one of the most prominent gifted beings. He was a very talented indie musician, his works garnering the attention of famous music producers. But he never signed to any major labels, opting for a small record company instead. His home was very humble too, as Baekhyun could tell. A small apartment in a quiet part of the town with little to no hints of extravagance. Baekhyun lived near him, but took extra precaution to never bump into Chanyeol around their homes.

Sometimes, he felt like he was intruding on Chanyeol’s privacy. When he took on this job, he thought he’d be one of those bodyguards who would accompany them around and glare menacingly at anyone who dared to make a move, but boy was he wrong. He didn’t expect to be looking through the cameras of people’s—or one person’s, rather—phones and screens and monitoring them. However, he was thankful for this job. He was secretly thankful that his assigned person was Chanyeol, someone he knew before landing this job. Chanyeol was a popular music major from college, his junior by two years, and he never expected Chanyeol to be one of  _ them. _

The Gifted were not born with powers. They were blessed—or cursed, as some would say—at the tender age of sixteen, but their powers could not be properly harnessed until they were 21, or in other words, legal. No two powers were the same, unless they were from the same family, but even then, it was rare. At sixteen, a tattoo symbolising their gift would appear on any part of their body but it would fade when they were 21. And at the age, they would also be assigned a FBI agent to keep them safe. Most people preferred to keep their powers a secret, because they would automatically be seen as dangerous if anyone knew they were a Gifted, but Chanyeol? He embraced it.

He met Chanyeol when the latter was a little first year, 18 and unaffected by what the people around him thought of him. He only ever saw Chanyeol around the campus at first, but he knew Chanyeol was already a pretty popular kid. Even the second and third years knew he was, and everyone admired him. People were more impressed by his musical skills and perfect personality, and little to none cared about his power.

The two of them met through Sehun, a mutual friend. It turned out that Chanyeol was invited by said friend to a small house party, and Baekhyun chanced upon the first year when he went to the balcony for some fresh air. They talked a bit, but Baekhyun never gathered the strength to become more than just friends with him. Even at 18, Chanyeol was breathtaking—witty, funny, kind, and not to mention strikingly attractive. After the party, they talked occasionally, with Baekhyun offering to help Chanyeol with his music theory and what not. The first time he noticed Chanyeol’s tattoo, he was amazed.

Chanyeol’s tattoo, unfortunately, was not hidden at all. It was on the side of his neck, but instead of covering it up with turtlenecks or makeup, he wore it proudly with no worry. In his case, it was fairly obvious that the tattoo was the symbol for his gift, because no one ever tattooed themselves on the neck, and normal tattoos didn’t glow when someone was aggravated. Chanyeol’s tattoo didn’t glow very often because he wasn’t easy to anger, but it seemed to glimmer whenever he was around Baekhyun, who just attributed it to uneasiness. 

Baekhyun slowly began to drift away from the first year because he felt like he was making him uncomfortable, and they never got around to talking about it. Sehun has asked him on multiple occasions if the two of them were quarreling, but Baekhyun always reassured him with a smile that they weren’t. It was true, anyway, but Sehun never seemed to be happy with that answer, always constantly trying to put the two of them together.

In the end, Baekhyun had done a pretty good job of avoiding Chanyeol, but his heart was not happy and he always regretted not expressing his interest in Chanyeol, even if he thought that the glimmer of his tattoo meant uneasiness. He later found out that when the tattoo glimmered in an odd way, the Gifted was very attracted to someone in the room.

When he’d graduated and gotten this job, he never expected to be assigned to Park Chanyeol who was then 21 years old and still experimenting with his power. It was by pure coincidence that he had been paired up with the man of his dreams, and he wasn’t going to let that go to waste. It was as if God had given him a second chance. He was going to make sure Chanyeol was as safe as he could be. The immense power and popularity Chanyeol had made him a very vulnerable target, but Baekhyun made sure that Chanyeol’s safety was not only taken care of behind the screen.

Fire was a very simple yet dangerous element, but it was possessed by Chanyeol who couldn’t care less. He only ever used his power to cook his food and light his candles, as far as Baekhyun had noticed. Even though his tattoo had already faded, rumors spread like wildfire. The public knew he was a Gifted, and Chanyeol never bothered denying it. It worried Baekhyun, but it seemed like everyone loved Chanyeol, with or without his power.

Baekhyun used to go back to his college under the pretense of tutoring the music majors and visiting his other friends, when really, he was just there to see how Chanyeol was doing. He wanted an excuse to see Chanyeol because he was too much of a coward to text him. Yes, Baekhyun had his number, given to him by Chanyeol himself back when he was still in college, but he was just too  _ shy _ to talk to Chanyeol. Even when Baekhyun was helping Chanyeol in college, he never spoke more than ten words to Chanyeol because he would stutter and forget what he wanted to say. Nothing in his job contract was stopping him from talking to Chanyeol, but Baekhyun was afraid that if Chanyeol somehow found out that he was the FBI agent assigned to him, he would freak out and completely cut him off from his life.

The fact that Chanyeol never tried reaching out to his FBI agent also bothered Baekhyun a little. Did he not care about who was watching him from behind the screens? Most of the time, the Gifted would request to speak or meet with their FBI agent at least once, to lay down some ground rules. What if Chanyeol’s agent wasn’t Baekhyun, and was some other guy two times Chanyeol’s age who had a fetish for college kids? The thought of it made Baekhyun fume, but he knew the agency took certain precautions when hiring agents. Most people did not take kindly to being monitored 24/7, even if it was for their sake. But Chanyeol never once attempted to speak to Baekhyun the FBI agent, although, he did occasionally send drunk texts to Baekhyun the college senior, leaving him flustered. Even after so many years of knowing each other, his heart still reacted wildly to seeing Chanyeol or his texts. And he got those nearly everyday.

A loud groan brought him back to reality. Baekhyun blinked, moving his mouse to put his laptop out of sleep mode. He sucked in a breath as he watched Chanyeol’s face contort into one of pleasure. Baekhyun glanced at the clock on his bedside table, mouth forming an ‘o’ as he realised it was time. Chanyeol had a really interesting way of doing things—he liked planning everything to a T. He even had a set timing for masturbating. He didn’t do it everyday, but whenever he did, it was always at 1.30am. Baekhyun had no idea why.

Baekhyun sat upright in anticipation, pushing his glasses up. The first few times he watched Chanyeol, he felt ashamed of himself. He felt like it wasn’t for him to see and that he should’ve looked away or turned it off, but he didn’t. Instead, he watched on as Chanyeol teased himself, edging ever so slightly, all the way till his climax, but he always turned the volume off so he could fantasise on his own, and also give him a little bit of… privacy. This time, it was no different, except the volume was up because he really  _ really  _ wanted to hear Chanyeol.

Baekhyun put his laptop on his side, sliding down his headboard as he got into a comfortable position. He watched as Chanyeol stroked himself slowly, back elegantly arching off the bed. Chanyeol whimpered, thumbing the tip of his cock with his eyes screwed shut.  _ So sensitive.  _ Today, he wasn’t watching any porn. It was unusual, but Baekhyun thought nothing of it as he reached into his boxers, spreading his legs slightly.

Chanyeol was now sitting upright, kneeling on the bed as he thrusted into his hand, throwing his head back as he moaned lowly, mouthing something that Baekhyun couldn’t quite catch. The agent watched open-mouthed, desperately mimicking Chanyeol’s hand movements. He was so fucking turned on. Every single time he watched Chanyeol, it felt like the musician was putting on a show for him. He waited with bated breath as Chanyeol moved out of frame. His hand stopped moving and he gently squeezed himself, slightly excited for what’s to come. He could hear the squelching of the lube.

Chanyeol crawled back onto his bed, staying on his hands and knees as he moved his hand up and down his cock, his other hand teasing his rim. He positioned himself so that his ass was facing the camera, seemingly on purpose as he shoved his ass back and circled lightly around his rim before finally pushing a finger in. Baekhyun was shocked that Chanyeol had his fucking ass right smack in front of the camera, but the view was so damn  _ enticing.  _ Chanyeol was doing this knowing fully well that someone was watching him, and he was fucking enjoying it. It was unexpected as Chanyeol was never this brazen in front of the camera during all those other times, and for a moment there Baekhyun wondered if Chanyeol was recording. The thought of Chanyeol recording himself just aroused him even more.

The sound of Chanyeol’s fingers moving in and out of his ass resonated through Baekhyun’s room. He was on three fingers now, and it seemed like his legs had given out and he was just laying flat on his bed. “F-fuck... Yes, make me your slut, yes sir, I’m yours,” Chanyeol all but sobbed loudly. Baekhyun wished he could see Chanyeol’s tear-stricken face, but those sultry moans and thick thighs were more than enough to compensate. Baekhyun spread his precum all over his tip, stroking almost wildly as he was close to his climax, but he stopped short when he heard something funny come out of Chanyeol’s mouth. “B-Baekhyun…”

_ What? _

“Baekhyun, sir please, fill me up... I want you, mmph,” Chanyeol whined loudly, his fingers going deeper and faster. Baekhyun released his dick, turning up the volume with his other hand. He was stunned, to say the least. Was that what Chanyeol was mumbling the whole time? Was that the first time Chanyeol had moaned his name while masturbating? Why was Chanyeol thinking about him? So many questions came to mind, but knowing that Chanyeol fantasised about him was enough to make him want to blow his load.

“Fuck,” he breathed. Then he groaned, mostly in frustration because he couldn’t see Chanyeol’s face. Chanyeol slowly withdrew his fingers, replacing them with a thick beige dildo. Baekhyun watched as the dildo slid in with ease, licking his lips. He thought about how great Chanyeol would feel, tight and hot around his dick, how Chanyeol would beg for him to go faster, how he would tease the younger’s nipples, fervently pinching and sucking on them. He thought about leaving marks on Chanyeol, cumming in his ass and making sure not one drop would leak out. 

“Fuck yes, Chanyeol, you’d like that wouldn’t you?” Baekhyun grunted, hand moving at a rapid pace. “Filling you with my cum and fucking it right back into you again.” He watched the lube drip down Chanyeol’s ass crack, the dildo getting sucked in by his ass hole. Baekhyun moaned, tugging at his cock harshly as he climaxed along with Chanyeol, their names on each other’s lips.

Baekhyun laid down in silence for a while, breathing hard as he mentally asked himself if that really just happened. Chanyeol moaned his name. Chanyeol was fantasising about him. Chanyeol, whom he had lusted after ever since he first laid eyes on him as a lanky teenager. Chanyeol, who was now a mega famous artiste. He eyed his laptop screen as Chanyeol left the frame once more, presumably to clean himself up. He couldn’t help but smile to himself as he finally realised the feelings were probably mutual.

Chanyeol came back in view with a towel, and Baekhyun watched as he gingerly cleaned himself and the screen up, the musician’s cheeks turning pink. He probably didn’t expect the lube to get on his laptop, Baekhyun mused, chuckling. He left his room, getting up to do the same as Chanyeol. But when he left, he missed Chanyeol getting into bed and switching his laptop off, murmuring  _ good night, Baekhyun _ as he shut the lid close.

Baekhyun shrugged when he saw the blank screen, getting ready for bed. It was late, and he had to go down to the headquarters tomorrow. He would ask Sehun about Chanyeol soon, but he was too exhausted in that moment and he couldn’t wait to go to sleep. The questions could wait another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. let me know if you want me to continue this! comments are appreciated~ title is Modern Flame by Emmit Fenn (ft. Yuna the loml) I'm probably going to edit this a little bit more when I have the time—which I don't at the moment because ugh I hate school
> 
> 180216 P.P.S. I will be adding another chapter soon, thank you for your kind comments!


	2. Chapter 2

Baekhyun woke up to the shrill ringing of his alarm. He yawned loudly, stretching as he kicked his blankets off the bed. His job really tired him out because of the irregular work timings, but the pay was ridiculously good and he was protecting someone he cared for, so he didn’t really mind. But waking up at 8am to receive a text that said _ ‘You don’t have to come in today. The client cancelled.’  _ was infuriating. He stood up and rang up his supervisor, suddenly awake and irritated.

_ “Jongdae speaking.” _

“What do you mean my client cancelled? My client, as in Park Chanyeol? He was the reason I had to go down to HQ today?” Baekhyun asked, rushing through his words. The man on the phone chuckled, humming.

_ “Good morning to you too, Baek.” _

“Answer me, Dae!” Baekhyun whined petulantly, upset that Chanyeol had wanted to finally meet him but cancelled at the last minute, after years of living like Hannah fucking Montana, except he was no superstar.

_ “Yeah, he called like last week to set up a schedule but then he backed out of the meeting last night. He did say not to tell you until well, something like that happens.” _

“Me? What? Does he know it’s me?” Baekhyun pressed, running his hand through his messy hair as he paced back and forth.

_ “No, you as in the agent assigned to him. I don’t think he knows that you’re his agent.”  _ Baekhyun let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He didn’t know why he was so concerned about Chanyeol already knowing he was his agent. It was something he wanted Chanyeol to know, but at the same time, he didn’t know how Chanyeol would react to the news. “Okay.”

_ “You know, you sound extremely relieved for someone who really wants to meet his client,”  _ Jongdae mused. Baekhyun wished he could wipe the smirk off his face. He didn’t have to see Jongdae’s face to know what kind of expression he was wearing at this moment. “I’m not sure if I’m ready,” Baekhyun reluctantly admitted. Jongdae sighed loudly on the other side of the phone, making Baekhyun frown.

_ “You’re gonna be okay. Don’t worry too much. Chanyeol’s a nice guy.”  _ Baekhyun’s frown deepened. “You don’t even  _ know _ Chanyeol,” he stated, sitting back down on his bed. He really wanted to cut the call and go back to sleep, but he needed to know what Jongdae meant by that.

_ “Oh, we’ve spoken on the phone a couple of times. Mostly about you, of course, I wouldn’t want to steal your man,”  _ Jongdae joked, chuckling.  _ “Although I must say he’s pretty fucking charming.” _

“He’s not ‘my man’ and you better not have spilled anything embarrassing or obvious.  _ And _ you’re not exactly competition when you don’t even like men in that way,” Baekhyun said, lying back in bed and closing his eyes. “I wanna go back to sleep now, I’ll see you when I see you.” He hung up before Jongdae could say a word, pulling the blanket over his body as he let sleep take over him.

 

——

 

Waking up to the sound of his phone blaring wasn’t exactly what Baekhyun had in mind. He groaned in frustration, feeling around his bed for his vibrating phone. “What do you want?”

_ “Hyung! Is that the way to greet people?”  _ A nasal voice asked. Baekhyun sighed, placing an arm over his face. “What do you want, Sehun?”

_ “Oh, you know, the usual. Have you checked your phone?” _

“You woke me up from my peaceful sleep, you fucking brat,” Baekhyun mumbled tiredly. Sehun made a sound of disapproval.  _ “It’s already 2pm, hyung. Time to wake up and get to work. Check your phone. But don’t hang up!”  _ Sehun added. Baekhyun grunted, putting his arm down as he looked for new notifications.

 

**Chanyeol** **  
** _ 5 new messages _

**Sehun  
** _ 2 new messages _

**Jongdae  
** _ 1 new message _

 

Baekhyun placed the phone down on his stomach, violently rubbing his eyes. He could hear Sehun yelling at him on the phone, but he ignored it and clicked on Chanyeol’s notification.

 

**Chanyeol  
** > ayyyyy baekhyun  
> how are uu  
> wanna cum over  
> come  
> *

 

Baekhyun’s cheeks flushed as he closed the conversation, putting the phone to his ear. “And?”

_ “And can you go check on Chanyeol because he’s drunk at 2 in the goddamn afternoon again!”  _ Sehun whisper-yelled.  _ “He’s also having problems with his composition. Do us both a solid and visit him.”  _

“Why can’t you check on him?” Baekhyun shot back, secretly happy that he had an excuse to visit Chanyeol. He was already planning his outfit in his head, but of course that was because he had to look presentable. Nothing else. 

_ “He’s probably still mad at me and I’m kind of going on a date soon, so please just check on him. I know you want to,”  _ Sehun replied.  _ “I gotta go, Soo’s waiting for me.” _

“Why is he mad at you?” Baekhyun asked, but Sehun had already hung up on him. He stared at his phone for a while before shrugging and heading to the toilet to freshen up. 

It wasn’t like it was the first time he was going over to Chanyeol’s. He went there every time Sehun invited him along, which was pretty often—maybe once a month or two. But it was going to be the first time he went _alone._ He usually sat there with Sehun, smiling and nodding along to everything Chanyeol said because he was so sure he couldn’t say anything without making a fool of himself. It was only when they were discussing things they had in common, like music, that Baekhyun could speak without feeling self-conscious. They texted occasionally too, but Baekhyun wasn’t much of a texter and he often ended up killing the conversation. He was _not_ proud of that.

After leaving the house, he stopped by the supermarket to get some hangover food for Chanyeol. Chicken noodles usually did the trick for him, and he knew for a fact that Chanyeol loved it to bits, so he got the ingredients for it, along with some snacks. It was no secret that Chanyeol loved drinking—sometimes a bit too much, but never till the point where they had to tell him to stop. Naturally, Baekhyun worried for him and voiced his concern once, and got a tight smile and an _‘all right’_ in reply. He thought he fucked up right there and then, but it seemed like Chanyeol had cut down a lot on drinking after that. So if Chanyeol was drunk at 2pm, something was probably bothering him.

Baekhyun sighed to himself, checking his work phone to see how Chanyeol was doing, but Chanyeol… wasn’t on his laptop. The downsides to only being able to monitor screens was that if the lid was shut, he couldn’t see anything. But thankfully, smartphones existed. He switched his view to Chanyeol’s phone’s front camera, only to be met with a close up of Chanyeol’s… neck?

Baekhyun got into his car, still watching his screen intently. It seemed like Chanyeol was recording something with his rear camera. Baekhyun flipped the channel and watched it buffer, sitting in his car as he waited to see what Chanyeol was doing. And Chanyeol was literally playing with fire.  _ “Attempt number 34,”  _ Chanyeol’s slurred voice announced. Baekhyun put his phone into his holder, revving up his engine. What the fuck was Chanyeol doing, tipsy and playing with fire? He groaned aloud, frustrated that he couldn’t be there any quicker. God knows what Chanyeol would do.

_ “Oh my god, a flower, but with fire,” _ Chanyeol exclaimed somewhat happily. Baekhyun glanced at his phone, watching the zooming in and out on the fire. Chanyeol had conjured a flower of sorts with his power and he was clearly happy about it, but Baekhyun was not. What was he doing playing with fire around alcohol? Thankfully, he was on Chanyeol’s street and already parking his car. He hastily grabbed all the food he bought, sprinting up the stairs to Chanyeol’s apartment.

“Open the door Chanyeol, it’s me,” Baekhyun shouted, calmly knocking on the door. He really really wanted to use the spare key he knew Chanyeol ‘hid’ in his potted plant, but Chanyeol didn’t know that he knew. He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently, rapping his knuckles on the door once more.

The apartment was silent, save for the padding of feet. The door opened and Baekhyun was met with a grinning Chanyeol. “Hi Baek! You’re here! And you brought food! What a lifesaver,” Chanyeol said, leaning against the doorway, seemingly tired. Baekhyun stared at him for a few seconds before patting Chanyeol’s cheek roughly. “Get a hold of yourself, Chanyeol,” he murmured, walking to the musician’s kitchen. He placed the groceries on the counter with Chanyeol following him around like a puppy.

“Ooh, are you cooking something for me?” Chanyeol asked excitedly. “Watch this!” Chanyeol pointed at the stove, wagging his index finger as a stream of fire appeared from his fingertip, flowing onto the stove. Baekhyun was in awe, but he was more concerned that Chanyeol wasn’t in a state to use his powers.

“Are you drunk?” Baekhyun asked pointedly. Chanyeol shook his head, smiling. “No I’m not. Maybe a little tipsy, but I’m fine,” he answered solemnly. Knowing that Chanyeol was okay relieved him, but he was also suddenly extremely conscious about the fact that Chanyeol and him were alone together in his apartment. 

“Uh… I’ll g-go make you some food,” Baekhyun stuttered, pushing Chanyeol out of his own kitchen. But Chanyeol turned around, standing rooted to his spot. “Thanks for coming, Baek. I didn’t actually expect you to come over,” Chanyeol mumbled, cheeks tinted pink. “It’s not like you ever do when I ask you to,” he added under his breath, unaware that Baekhyun had heard him.

“It’s no problem…” Baekhyun trailed off, not knowing what to say. If he said it was actually Sehun who exaggerated the situation and asked him to visit Chanyeol, it would probably not help his case. “I wanted to be here,” he settled honestly. He really did. Seeing Chanyeol right in front of him was refreshing.

Chanyeol beamed at him, before mouthing an  _ O  _ and prancing out of the kitchen. Baekhyun shrugged, making himself comfortable and gathering all the stuff he needed to make lunch for Chanyeol. It felt strangely domestic, and Baekhyun noted that this was also his first time cooking for someone who was not technically family. Even Sehun, whom he’d known since the two of them were babies, had never tried Baekhyun’s cooking. Not that it was anything impressive.

Chanyeol came bouncing back into the kitchen with his guitar slung over his back, holding onto a stool and pieces of paper nearly scrunched up in his hand. He sat on the stool, placing the papers on the table as he slung the guitar over his chest.

“Baekhyun~” Chanyeol cooed, leaning on his palm as he watched Baekhyun cook. Baekhyun hummed in response, not looking back. “I need help with my composition. Something’s not right,” Chanyeol said, frowning at the sheets of paper in front of him as if they’d offended him. Baekhyun chuckled, shaking his head. “We’ll go through that later. First, we eat. I haven’t eaten all day and I’m starving,” he rambled. 

Chanyeol remained silent, nodding his head. He watched Baekhyun navigate around the kitchen as though he lived there—he shouldn’t have thought about that. Chanyeol shook his head, as if to dispel the thought of Baekhyun living with him, but his mind went on to make up different kind of scenarios in his head. “So, what do you do for a living?” Chanyeol asked hastily to distract himself. He put his guitar down on the floor and rearranged the papers. He didn’t see the way Baekhyun’s shoulders stiffened for a second there, or how Baekhyun’s hands stopped moving for a moment. He stared at Baekhyun’s back, waiting for an answer.

“I… I’m in security.”

“I see,” Chanyeol said, dragging his words. Silence filled the room for a bit before Baekhyun spoke. “What about you?” A pause. “I mean, how’s work going for you?”

Chanyeol grinned, happy that Baekhyun was holding the conversation. “Work’s been good! I’m working on a new album now, I’m sure Sehun has told you—it was going pretty well until now. I’m still stuck on two-ish songs and I just can’t figure out why,” he babbled, making tiny sparks with his fingers.

Baekhyun turned around, two plates in his hands. He was wearing Chanyeol’s apron, and Chanyeol had to admire how good he looked today. His lips were naturally pink, and when he bit on them they became slightly swollen and red and it was  _ extremely _ attractive in Chanyeol’s eyes, but he didn’t get to see that often because he didn’t hang out with Baekhyun enough, with work and their lack of communication. Baekhyun was slender, but his shoulders were broad and his arms were toned and lean, enough to make Chanyeol curious as to what other parts of his body were… defined. Every time he saw Baekhyun, the latter’s hair colour seemed to change. This time, it was back to black. Dark as night, and very sexy, Chanyeol thought to himself. It was probably the colour he liked the most on Baekhyun.

“Stop staring and eat up,” Baekhyun said, motioning to Chanyeol’s plate.

“You made my favourite,” Chanyeol mumbled joyfully, digging into his food.

“I know,” Baekhyun said offhandedly, chewing and staring out the window. Chanyeol stopped eating and looked up at Baekhyun. “How did you know chicken noodles were my favourite?”

“I… Sehun told me to make it for you.”  _ Lies.  _ “Said you were hungover and that chicken noodles would be g-good.”  _ Liar.  _ “I didn’t know it was your favourite till now,” he finished, slurping the rest of his soup and hurriedly stood up, putting the dish in the sink. Chanyeol didn’t have to know that he only had to mention it once for Baekhyun to remember it for life. Chanyeol smiled, finishing up his bowl as well. He brought the bowl to the sink where Baekhyun was, their fingers brushing against each other. Baekhyun flinched slightly, stammering out a  _ sorry _ as he continued washing the dishes.

The younger stifled a laugh, gently grabbing onto Baekhyun’s hand as he led the elder into his room. Baekhyun hid a smile, enjoying the warmth of their hands intertwined. “I will do the dishes later, you can sit here and wait for me,” he said, leaving the room to grab his guitar and papers once more. Baekhyun sat on the floor, looking around the room as he fidgeted. This was the room he always saw Chanyeol in. The room he cried in, the room he laughed in, the room he… did questionable things in. Baekhyun slapped himself lightly, cursing at himself for thinking of last night’s events.

Chanyeol came back with his guitar, along with papers crumpled in his hand. He plopped down beside Baekhyun, their shoulders and thighs touching. Baekhyun was about to combust from being so close to his crush, but he kept his cool and tried to act nonchalant about the non-existent distance between them. He hugged his knees to his chest, resting his head on them as he side-eyed Chanyeol. “What do you need help with?”

Chanyeol groaned, throwing his head back, and Baekhyun couldn’t resist imagining Chanyeol in that position, but his hands gripping Baekhyun’s hair and pushing him down as he ate him out....  _ Snap out of it, Baekhyun.  _ “A lot of things…” Chanyeol trailed off. “But let’s talk about you. The music can wait.”

“You know, we’ve known each other for what, six years? And we’ve never hung out alone, save for the times you tutored me and what not. And sure, we know little things about each other but we don’t like, know  _ know _ each other, you get me?”

Baekhyun stared blankly at Chanyeol, blinking as he processed the word vomit that came out of Chanyeol’s mouth. He nodded once, probing him to go on. “So what I was trying to say was… let’s get to know each other better!”

Baekhyun knew where this was going.

“Let’s play 20 questions! Or maybe just 10. It’s the easiest way to get to know each other. Plus, you can’t escape my questions now.”

“Fucking called it,” Baekhyun mumbled. “Go ahead and ask me, then.” Chanyeol set aside his stuff, sitting cross-legged as he faced Baekhyun. “Tell me more about what you do!”

“That’s not a question, Chanyeol,’ Baekhyun replied, eyes nervously darting around the room. Chanyeol rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. “Can you tell me more about what you do? I’m curious. I don’t actually know much,” Chanyeol said, eyes glinting as if he knew something that Baekhyun didn’t.

“I- I’m in security. I take care of people’s security. Make them feel secure,” Baekhyun finished lamely.  _ Real smooth, Byun Baekhyun.  _ How was he supposed to tell Chanyeol that he was an FBI agent? His mind was telling him to tell Chanyeol the truth—it wasn’t like Chanyeol would know that Baekhyun was actually his agent. Plus, Baekhyun was  _ really _ bad at lying. He couldn’t lie to save his life. He took a deep breath before speaking again. “I mean, I’m sure you know about the FBI. I protect people like you.”

Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrowed for a second or two before he raised them in understanding. “Ooh, who is your client? Do I know them? Oh my god, is it EXO’s Xiumin? I know he’s a Gifted! His powers are literally  _ so cool.  _ Get it? Because his power is frost? And wow, he’s so hot,” Chanyeol blabbered excitedly, fanning himself. Baekhyun felt a sting at his chest, but he covered it up with a nervous laugh. 

“Not all Gifteds are famous, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun reminded gently. “My client is a normal Gifted leading an ordinary life.” Baekhyun gave himself a pat on the back for lying through his teeth. But Chanyeol’s life was pretty ordinary other than the fact that he was kinda famous, so it wasn’t really a lie, right? He stretched his arms and legs, faking a yawn.

“Ah… Right. Okay, it’s your turn now.” Baekhyun pondered for a moment, thinking of what he could possibly ask Chanyeol when he knew so much about the musician already.  _ Just pretend you’re clueless about him, you dimwit.  _ “Don’t you have anything to ask me?” Chanyeol pouted, looking like a kicked puppy. Baekhyun was quick to reassure him that it wasn’t because he wasn’t interested in getting to know Chanyeol, but rather because he didn’t know what to ask. Chanyeol laughed, the booming sound filling the room. Baekhyun couldn’t help but smile, even though there wasn’t really anything to smile about. But when he was with Chanyeol, he felt at home.

“Come on, you must have something you wanna know,” Chanyeol pressed, leaning in close. Baekhyun looked down at the younger’s mouth for a bit too long to count as ‘just looking’ before tearing his eyes away from the plush lips.

“What do you like about me?” Baekhyun blurted, covering his mouth immediately after. His eyes widened, darting around the room once again, unable to look at Chanyeol in the eye. He could feel his blush rising to his cheeks.  _ Fuck, fuck, fuck. Wrong move, Baekhyun. _ Chanyeol giggled, placing a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Oh, Baekhyun.”

“I meant, what trait do you like about me  _ as a friend? _ ” Baekhyun corrected, flushing. Chanyeol looked at him, eyes hooded. He trailed a finger down Baekhyun’s arm slowly, tenderly. “I like many things about you.” He leaned in closer. “I like your cooking. I like your laugh. I like your voice. I like your… workout regime.” Closer. “I like your attentiveness to details. I like when you say my name, I like it when you run your hand in your hair in frustration. I especially love it when you’re so concentrated, you scrunch your eyebrows and bite on your bottom lip,” he breathed, hands resting on either side of Baekhyun’s thighs.

Chanyeol was nearly straddling Baekhyun now, and that was dangerous in Baekhyun’s eyes. So, so dangerous. He could pop a boner anytime and Chanyeol would feel it.  _ Think of Jongdae, think of Jongdae, think of Jongdae…  _ “I like many things about you, Baekhyun. What do you like about me?” Chanyeol whispered, breath fanning Baekhyun’s face.  _ Just lean in, Baekhyun. Just do it. Kiss him. The guy obviously fucking likes you. You have nothing to lose. _

“Overwatch League!” Baekhyun shouted instead. Chanyeol pulled back, startled. “What?”

Baekhyun laughed anxiously, getting up on his feet and grabbing his things. “Overwatch League just started. It’s Seoul Dynasty versus NYXL tonight. I can’t miss it, I promised my friend I’ll watch it with him. I’m really sorry but I have to go now, you can text me later if you still need help, bye!”

He gave a small wave and a smile, rushing to leave the house as his heart pounded. He couldn’t bring himself to look back at Chanyeol—there was no doubt Chanyeol was confused and hurt by what he just did, but he just couldn’t bring himself to make a move when Chanyeol still didn’t know that Baekhyun was his agent and had been jerking off to Chanyeol masturbating for the past four years.

Baekhyun heaved a sigh, dragging himself to his car as his mind replayed the moment over and over again. He could’ve… but he didn’t. He contemplated leaving Chanyeol a text, but he felt like it would’ve been better if he didn’t do anything to aggravate Chanyeol any further. He drove home in silence, thinking of what could’ve happened if he kissed Chanyeol in that moment. “Stop it, Baekhyun,” he chided himself, knocking his head on the steering wheel.

When he arrived home, he sat in his car, checking his phone to see what Chanyeol was doing, but strangely enough, all the screens seemed to be covered by a tape or something. Everything was blurry, but Baekhyun could make out the sounds clearly, and it sounded like someone was sniffling. His heart ached, and he really wanted to tell Chanyeol not to cry, but he couldn’t, because Chanyeol didn’t know that Baekhyun could see and hear him then. “Why do I torture myself like this?” he wondered aloud.

Switching off the camera, he got out of his car and walked slowly to his apartment, whistling a sad tune. He stared at his phone, deciding that it was better if he at least said something. He opened his conversation with Chanyeol and freezed when he saw a typing bubble. He waited for a text to come, but the bubble disappeared and there was no text. He sighed.

_ I’m sorry,  _ Baekhyun typed. He didn’t know what else to say. He could only hope Chanyeol wouldn’t be mad at him forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEW I ACTUALLY DID IT LOL I'm so happy bc I'm finally done with school!!! (almost but I'm basically done) and I was vomiting this shit out today lmao (2k+ in like 2 hours).
> 
> I already have the third (and most likely final) chapter planned but I won't be writing it immediately bc I still have other WIPs. Anyway, let me know what you think! No smut for you guys this time. Haha. SORRY IT'S UNBETA'D AS ALL MY OTHER FICS ARE if u wanna beta for me and you have experience let me know!!!! although tbh I don't feel like I need one but if you think I do by all means please let me know!!
> 
> wow I said let me know in this chunk of text like 3 + 1 times
> 
> also i’m going to elyxion tomorrow hehe
> 
> Twitter: [@xiubokki](http://twitter.com/xiubokki) / Curiouscat: [@baekeries](http://curiouscat.me/baekeries)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5.3k! the final chapter :) unbeta'd
> 
> disclaimer: I don't know how the hell any of the things I mentioned actually work in real life ok. they were all based on what I've watched or heard of so just i g n o r e any discrepancies ok it's not supposed to be _extremely_ realistic. I mean, this is a fbi au... how realistic can it get lol
> 
> IMPORTANT: mentions of kidnapping, unprotected sex
> 
> have fun (also there's a timeskip i think it's obvious but yeah)
> 
> I tried w the smut but idk I feel like I'm rusty now lol

_ “Can we listen to the song first?” _

_ “Yeah sure. Do you wanna see the lyrics too?” _

_ “That would be great!” _

A mellow tune played from Baekhyun’s laptop as he watched Chanyeol bob his head along to his music. He was watching Chanyeol as usual, but this time it was a prerecorded video that was uploaded on YouTube a few minutes ago.  _ Interview with CHANYEOL: The Making Of ‘Deepen’,  _ the title of the video read. Baekhyun closed his eyes, leaning back as he listened to Chanyeol’s honey-like voice sing with much emotion.

_ “So rumour was that you were working on a new album. We were all surprised when you decided to release a single with no news of the album, what happened?” _ Baekhyun opened his eyes and sat upright, curious as well. He watched Chanyeol laugh and twiddle his fingers, bouncing his legs.

_ “To be honest, I really did want to release the album. But there were hiccups along the way and the album is still in the making. I decided to release the single as an apology for having to wait. It will come out soon, I promise,”  _ Chanyeol replied, smile not quite reaching his eyes. The interviewer laughed, bringing her hand up to her mouth and nodding. 

_ “How do you feel whenever you see your songs climb up the charts again after a such a long time? ‘Gift’ seems to always be in the Top 100. How does that make you feel?” _ Chanyeol hummed, looking up at the ceiling. He crossed his legs, deep in thought.

_ “I don’t really care about how well my songs do on the charts… I mean, of course I do, but it’s only in that moment. I don’t dwell much on the past. I just look forward and try to improve. With that said, I am grateful to my fans for loving and supporting me and my music. Thank you.”  _ The interviewer cooed at Chanyeol, reaching out as if to touch him. Baekhyun rolled his eyes, scrubbing forward to skip the blatant flirting, and then scrubbing back to a question he really wanted to know the answer to.

_ “How did you compose Deepen?” _

Chanyeol smiled softly, looking down at his lap.  _ “Well, you know how most love songs are like. There’s always a muse.”  _ The interviewer squealed, bouncing her legs like an excited child.  _ “I’m sure all your fans are interested in knowing more, Chanyeol-ssi!” _

Chanyeol shook his head, smile almost turning into a frown. He squirmed in his seat, looking around the room. He was uncomfortable, Baekhyun realised. Uncomfortable talking about this muse. Baekhyun didn’t need to ask to know who it was. He’d have to be an idiot not to realise the song was about him.  _ “Come on, Chanyeol-ssi. The lyrics are so sweet yet saddening in a way,” _ the interviewer prodded gently.

_ “‘As I hold my deepening memory of you and think about you, you will just keep growing in my mind,’”  _ Chanyeol recited quietly.  _ “It’s nothing, really. Just yearning for someone who doesn’t feel the same. But it’s okay, because writing this song has… enabled me to forget. I’ve moved on to the next big thing,”  _ he added.

_ “Oh? Is the next big thing EXO’s Xiumin, perhaps?”  _ The interviewer cheekily asked. Chanyeol looked positively shocked by that question.  _ “W-what do you mean?” _

_ “It’s no secret that the both of you have recently become pretty close friends. Is there a blossoming relationship, perhaps? The fans are excited to know.”  _ Chanyeol looked like he regretted being such an open celebrity in the first place. Chanyeol was not the first celebrity to be openly gay, but he was certainly one of the few, along with EXO’s Xiumin, or Minseok, as Baekhyun knew him. The both of them just didn’t seem to care about what the public thought of them, and the public thought they looked great together, or at least that was what Baekhyun knew. Chanyeol shook his head.

_ “Minseok hyung and I are just really good friends, there’s nothing more to that,”  _ Chanyeol said, cheeks pinking. Baekhyun snorted. “The fuck are you blushing for? The man’s taken,” Baekhyun growled at his screen, closing the tab. He got up from his bed, walking to the kitchen to get some food. “Xiumin is so hot! He’s so cool!” Baekhyun mocked, rolling his eyes. Yes, Baekhyun was bitter. Bitter that Chanyeol didn’t reply to his text three months ago, bitter that Chanyeol still sent him drunk texts but never followed up on them or apologised like he usually did. Bitter that he was now so close to  _ Minseok hyung. _

Baekhyun already knew Minseok back when Chanyeol referred to him as “EXO’s Xiumin”. One of his good friends, Junmyeon, was Minseok’s FBI agent, and the two of them met on the first day. Junmyeon was the type of agent to work from his office instead of from home, and Minseok always made it a point to visit Junmyeon whenever his busy schedule allowed it. It was kind of funny because Junmyeon didn’t have to worry about where Minseok was when they spent his free time together. Being in a world-famous boy band didn’t help his case at all, but Baekhyun admired his persistence. Even a blind man could tell how smitten Minseok was.

Baekhyun wasn’t jealous because he thought the two of them would like each other in that way, but rather because  _ he _ wanted to be Chanyeol’s favourite hyung. He wanted to be the first person Chanyeol would run to whenever something good or bad happened, whenever he felt bored and wanted to hang out with someone, whenever he needed help or opinions on anything. Why was it Minseok, when Minseok already had Junmyeon? He wanted to be Chanyeol’s person.

Sometimes, he couldn’t help but wonder if Chanyeol was indeed into Minseok, but he didn’t miss Chanyeol’s sunken eyes and low-effort attires after that night. He noticed everything, and he knew Chanyeol was tired and suffering just like he was, but the both of them were too stubborn to say or do anything about it. Sehun was constantly nagging at him, asking him to  _ ‘man up and put the both of you out of this misery’ _ , but Baekhyun just couldn’t. All he could do was watch Chanyeol from afar and wish he wasn’t such a coward.

_ What if  _ Chanyeol didn’t like him anymore? He did say in his interview that he’d already moved on to the next big thing, whatever that was. What if Chanyeol  _ hated _ him? After all the pushing and pulling? If it were Baekhyun in his shoes, he would’ve been tired of everything. Given up on Baekhyun completely. And how was he supposed to tell Chanyeol that he was his agent? If Chanyeol actually forgave him for that night and everything before, would Chanyeol be mad at him for lying about his client? Baekhyun shook his head. “He doesn’t want to know who his agent is, so he can’t be mad at me for hiding it,” he told himself.

Just as he was pouring milk into his cereal, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He sighed. He tossed the empty carton into the bin, carrying his bowl to the living hall and switched on the television, then took his phone out. “What?”

_ “I can’t find Chanyeol. He’s not answering his phone, hyung, please, I don’t know where he is,”  _ Sehun’s distraught voice came through.  _ “He’s not home, he’s not with Minseok—is he with you? Please tell me he is, oh my god, he’s never this quiet-” _

“Calm down, Sehun. Calm down,” Baekhyun nearly shouted, pinching the bridge of his nose. How could he ask Sehun to calm down when he was about to lose it too? Chanyeol was missing? “When was the last time the two of you spoke?”

_ “L-last night, he went to g-get some ice cream, and we were on the phone a-and someone approached him and they were talking and h-he hung up on me and I haven’t h-heard from him since,”  _ Sehun sobbed. Baekhyun frowned, closing his eyes. He had a pretty good idea what was happening. 

“And you waited till  _ now,  _ over 12 hours later I presume, to tell me? What were they talking about?” Baekhyun fumed. What the fuck was Sehun thinking, waiting that long?

_ “The standard missing person protocol waits 24 hours! I didn’t r-realise he was probably taken away until now. I went to his house, w-we were supposed to meet today, but he wasn’t there, and I a-asked his manager and even Minseok hyung but no one h-has seen him. Please Baekhyun, please, I don’t know what to do,”  _ Sehun cried, saying unintelligible words.  _ “Something about a g-group for the Gifted…”  _ Baekhyun cursed, jogging back to his room to check on Chanyeol’s devices.

“I’ll call you when I have news. Stay with Kyungsoo, don’t go anywhere. We don’t know who took him away and what else they’re looking for,” Baekhyun instructed, ending the call. He immediately rang up Jongdae, yelling out in frustration when he couldn’t pinpoint Chanyeol’s whereabouts.  _ “What’s up?” _

“They took Chanyeol. They fucking took him!” Baekhyun roared, the anger consuming him.  _ “Baekhyun, breathe,”  _ Jongdae said slowly, the background noises on his side fading away. Baekhyun heard the door click.  _ “Are you sure?” _

“Sehun said he went out at night alone and some fucker approached him about this group for the Gifted and Chanyeol hung up on him  _ and he’s not fucking home yet damn right I’m sure,”  _  Baekhyun spat, grabbing his coat and keys as he left for the headquarters. “I’m going to find him.”

_ “Don’t be rash, Agent Byun,”  _ Jongdae demanded.  _ “You come down to the HQ right now. We will dispatch field agents to find him. I’ll have his location by the time you arrive. Breathe, Baekhyun. Breathe.” _

“I can’t believe they have the fucking nerve to target a goddamn celebrity,” Baekhyun hissed, getting into his car. “I’m coming over.”

 

——

 

Baekhyun was 99% sure he knew who took Chanyeol... because he experienced the same thing. There was a reason why he graduated with a degree in Music but ended up becoming a FBI agent—he didn’t want the same thing happening to other people like him.

When Baekhyun first got his tattoo, he was surprised and excited. He was the only one in his family who had the Gift, and none of them expected it. His tattoo was on his shoulder blade, so it wasn’t obvious, but his parents always warned him never to show or tell people about it. At 16, he couldn’t care less about being humble and wanted to let all his friends know about his power even though it wasn’t developed yet. And that was his first mistake.

Barely a year after his tattoo appeared, a man had approached Baekhyun and promised to unleash his power earlier than Baekhyun could use it. Instead of questioning how the man knew so much about him, he was thrilled to know that people could do that and followed the man with no hesitation. And that was his second mistake.

He was brought to a facility where people were dressed in white lab coats and scurrying around the crystal clean compound. He was in so much awe over how majestic and cool the place looked although it was pretty small, and he failed to notice the man poking his skin with a syringe. When he felt the needle pierce through his skin, it was too late to react.

The next time he opened his eyes, he was strapped to a cold table, lying face-down as he struggled to break free. He had cried, sobbed, yelled for them to let him go, but they kept their faces void of emotions as they extracted something silvery from his tattoo. It didn’t physically hurt, but Baekhyun was distraught. He was in a room full of people he didn’t know, and he was strapped down like an animal, with nothing but a pair of shorts on. And he didn’t know what they wanted from him. He didn’t expect to be caged in an empty room and be left alone after that. He wanted to go home, to live an ordinary life, to forget all that ever happened.

He was only saved when the police found him after over 48 hours, but all the life he had in him was gone. The organisation was thankfully shut down, but Baekhyun could never shake off the feeling that they were always watching him. His tattoo had disappeared, leaving a scar in its wake. He cried for days and nights, refusing to leave his room. His power was gone before he could even use it, or know what it was, and he was emotionally scarred from that event. His next door neighbour and then-best friend, Sehun, didn’t know what happened and could only watch from his window as Baekhyun cried his heart out. Baekhyun was never the same after that, but Sehun made sure to always stay by his side. The news spoke of a boy who was kidnapped and nearly used for experiments, but his identity could not be revealed due to the laws, and the public was more cautious for the Gifted from then on.

When he first realised Chanyeol was a Gifted, Baekhyun was beyond worried for him. He was so carefree and unbothered by the fact that there could be people out there who wanted to hurt him, and Baekhyun was annoyed at first. How could anyone be so  _ stupid?  _ But Chanyeol wasn’t the same as Baekhyun. Chanyeol never went around showing off his powers, never talked about them a lot, and even though he never hid the tattoo fully on purpose, he still made sure the tattoo was partially covered. Chanyeol was clearly a lot smarter than 16 year-old Baekhyun.

But now, Chanyeol was missing and Baekhyun was pissed. He was angry that he couldn’t have been there for Chanyeol, angry that after so many years, they decided to take someone so dear to Baekhyun, angry that Baekhyun just let it happen. “You didn’t let it happen. There was no way you could’ve predicted that,” Jongdae reminded him. “Chanyeol is going to be okay. Have faith, all right?” Baekhyun could feel the tears prickling his eyes, but he willed himself not to cry.  _ You can do this. Breathe. You have to find Chanyeol. He’s gonna be okay.  _ He nodded and cleared his throat. “Where is he?”

Jongdae pointed at the screen, wearing an apologetic look. Baekhyun glanced at the screen, turning white. “You’re  _ fucking kidding _ ,” Baekhyun croaked, holding onto a nearby chair.

“You don’t have to do this. I can send a squad there right now and you don’t have to be there. He’ll be back before you know it,” Jongdae informed him, but Baekhyun shook his head. “I’m going, and that’s final. Send backup.” His supervisor sighed. “I’ll go with you.”

He couldn’t believe that after all those years, the organisation was at the same  _ fucking  _ place, but underground. It was ridiculous and frankly, quite telling of the local police. They didn’t even bother checking the basement! Baekhyun looked at Jongdae for approval, impatiently tapping his fingers on his arms. Once Jongdae nodded, he quickly picked the lock and entered, but he stood at the entrance as he took in the sight. The place was fucking  _ trashed.  _ His first thought was that he was too late and they’d already taken Chanyeol somewhere else, but he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down as the field agents scouted the area.

“Sir, we’ve found the hostage!” One of them yelled out, prompting Baekhyun to run towards the source. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Chanyeol getting bandaged up by one of their paramedics, his injuries thankfully minor. “The fuck were you thinking, following strangers around like that? Something could’ve happened to you!”

Chanyeol frowned. He didn’t expect that from Baekhyun. “I didn’t follow him. He said he was a fan and proceeded to chat me up, but then I got knocked out and the next thing I knew, I was here,” Chanyeol scoffed, getting up and thanking the paramedic. “Did you seriously think I would be so  _ stupid,  _ following a stranger to some shady place?” Baekhyun opened his mouth, about to deny it, but Chanyeol’s glare made him shut it. After a few beats of awkward standing around—the others had left them to search the area—Baekhyun finally spoke again. “Are you okay? Did they… did they do anything to you?”

“I’m fine. I can take care of myself, you know. I have my powers and a black belt. There weren’t many of them and I took extra precaution to tie them up after I knocked them out,” Chanyeol answered, taking a step towards Baekhyun. “They didn’t do anything to you? At all?” The agent worriedly asked. Chanyeol smiled softly, shaking his head. “They couldn’t. It’s okay, I’m fine,” Chanyeol murmured, just inches away from Baekhyun, whose mouth quivered. Baekhyun could feel his eyes starting to water. He leaned into Chanyeol’s chest, hugging the taller and startling him.

“I was so worried when Sehun called me and s-said you were missing and he said it s-someone said something about a group for the gifted a-and I immediately knew what he w-was talking about and I was so afraid I-”

“Hey, I’m okay, it’s fine,” Chanyeol interrupted gently, expression softening. He let go of Baekhyun, placing his hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders as he crouched slightly so that he was at eye level. “You came for me, I’m okay, and the guilty parties are going to be arrested and tried. It’s okay. It’s over,” he soothed repeatedly, wiping Baekhyun’s tears away. Baekhyun took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. It didn’t help that coming back here reminded him of his traumatising past that Chanyeol didn’t know of.

“Sorry. I’m not usually this emotional. I’m just glad you’re okay now,” Baekhyun mumbled, lightly slapping himself awake. Chanyeol crossed his arms, tapping his feet on the floor. “So, care to explain why you’re here?”

“I- uh-"

“Sorry to interrupt… Mr. Park? May I have a moment with you?” A man with a clipboard inquired, standing at the door. Chanyeol turned to look at the man, frowning slightly. “What for?”

“Um, we have to take your statement regarding today’s incident. I see that you’re busy, it won’t take long. We just have to make an arrangement for you to go down to the station,” the man replied, fidgeting and clearly uncomfortable that he was in a celebrity’s presence.

“Talk to my manager, he’ll be down soon. Please excuse us,” Chanyeol dismissed him, grabbing a hold of Baekhyun and leaving the room. “Uh, where are we going?” Baekhyun asked, letting himself get pulled away by Chanyeol. “To talk,” the taller answered, letting go of his hand. “I assume you drove here?”

“Yeah I did,” Baekhyun affirmed, walking to his car. “Where to?”

“My house.”

 

——

 

The trip to Chanyeol’s was quiet and slightly awkward. Baekhyun spent the entire time thinking of what to say to Chanyeol, and just when he thought he found the right words, he backtracked. It didn’t seem like Chanyeol wanted to talk till they were back at his home either—he was looking out of the window the whole ride.

When they reached Chanyeol’s apartment block, Baekhyun walked towards the stairwell, but Chanyeol grabbed his arm to stop him. “I’m tired. Let’s take the lift.” Baekhyun nodded silently, walking behind Chanyeol. He chanced a glance at Chanyeol while they were in the lift and his heart fell when he saw how tired and defeated Chanyeol looked. How much longer could he keep up his facade?

“Do you wanna have anything to eat or drink?” Chanyeol asked, searching his kitchen. “Oh. Wait. I forgot to stock up on food. I only have water and biscuits, sorry.” Baekhyun frowned at that, sitting on the couch. “Have you been eating proper meals?”

“I have,” Chanyeol promised, going to sit with Baekhyun. “I just haven’t been home for a while. Been holed up at the studio.” He cleared his throat, suddenly conscious of himself. Baekhyun laughed nervously. His fingers itched to touch Chanyeol, hold him and assure him that everything was okay. It didn’t take a genius to see that Chanyeol was still shaken from the incident and was just trying to pretend that he was fine with it.

Baekhyun took a deep breath. This was it. Today, he would clear everything up with Chanyeol. No secrets. “Okay. I’ll start. I have a lot to say, but I’ll start with that night I uh, left you alone.” Chanyeol leaned back in the couch and said nothing, so Baekhyun took it as a sign to go on.

“I like you. I’ve liked you ever since you were a first year in college, back before we even formally met. I admired you from afar, and I thought it was just a small mindless crush, but then we became… friends? And I began liking you even more. And- I’ll just cut to the chase now. I back away that night because I felt like we didn’t really  _ know _ each other and I’m already—I don’t know—in love with you. How ridiculous does that sound? We speak to each other like a total of one month in a year and _ I’m fucking in love with you.  _ I don’t want you to regret anything, and I honestly don’t want to get hurt. I’d rather back off than dive in and hurt myself.”

“And I know, it’s mostly my fault for not talking to you as often as you try to talk to me, but I’m really bad at this—Sehun can testify—at this friendship thing. But I’m… I’m sorry, okay? For walking out on you and not saying anything afterwards, for  _ months _ even. I know I’m a coward, and I’m sorry,” Baekhyun babbled, toying with his shirt. “Wait. Before you say anything, I have something else to confess.”

“I used… I used to have powers too. But they got taken away from me because I was an idiot who liked to show off, and now I’m just a normal person. I know it doesn’t explain how I knew where you were… Ugh,” Baekhyun groaned, pulling down on his cheeks. “Iamactuallyyouragent.”

Chanyeol blinked at him, still in his spot. “Come again?”

“I- I’m actually your FBI agent,” Baekhyun admitted. It felt good to finally say it aloud to Chanyeol, but he held his breath as he waited for him to react.

“I know,” was all Chanyeol said. Baekhyun breathed a sigh of relief because Chanyeol wasn’t screaming at him for keeping such a big sec- “Wait  _ what? _ ”

Chanyeol sighed, finally turning to face Baekhyun. “Everything you just said. I know. Well, except your powers, I didn’t know that. But anyway, you know Sehun isn’t the best with secrets. He spilled everything one night he was over,” Chanyeol said quietly. “Well, I would assume it was everything. But the FBI thing I found out by myself a couple of years back? That one time I was over at your house and I accidentally saw your laptop and yeah… I was shocked at first but I was mostly relieved that it was you, because well, it’s you.”

“The things I do on screen… It’s not like I don’t know you’re watching, you know,” Chanyeol confessed, shyly tugging on the hem of Baekhyun’s sweater. His cheeks turned pink as he recalled all the times he put on a show for an unsuspecting Baekhyun. Baekhyun’s breath hitched and he stared at Chanyeol, speechless. He definitely wasn’t mad, but he sure was fucking embarrassed.

“So the reason why you never bothered to set up a meeting with your agent— _ me _ —was because you already knew it was me? What about the time you actually did, but cancelled last minute?”

Chanyeol tapped his chin, thinking. “Oh, that. I actually drunk dialled Jongdae, and when I realised through our texts I immediately called him to cancel,” he said sheepishly.

“You ruined my sleep routine,” Baekhyun grumbled. “Okay, wait. I basically just confessed my love for you and you’re not even gonna react?” he asked incredulously. Chanyeol chuckled, leaning in. “I don’t know if I love you yet, but I definitely more than like you,” he replied, slowly closing his eyes. Baekhyun leaned in as well, entranced by the man before him. This was the moment he was waiting for, and he could finally savour it with no regrets.

When their lips met, all Baekhyun felt was… warmth. His arms reached out to cradle Chanyeol’s head, kissing him passionately. He smiled into the kiss when Chanyeol returned it with the same intensity, both of them sucking and nipping at each other’s lips. Baekhyun pulled back for air, gasping hard. “I’ve wanted to do that since we first met.”

Chanyeol grinned, his hand reaching down to cup Baekhyun’s crotch. “I’ve wanted to do a lot more than just kissing.” Baekhyun growled lowly when Chanyeol got on his knees and excitedly unzipped Baekhyun’s jeans, pulling them down along with his underwear. “Patience, baby,” Baekhyun teased, hands reaching down to grip Chanyeol’s soft hair. He swore he heard Chanyeol whimper, but he thought nothing of it when Chanyeol dragged his tongue up the base of his dick, hands massaging his balls.

He moaned when Chanyeol’s tongue swirled around his tip, teasing him, his hands moving up and down his shaft. When Chanyeol wrapped his lips around his dick and started bobbing his head up and down slowly, Baekhyun groaned and threw his head back, his hands unconsciously tugging at Chanyeol’s hair. Chanyeol moaned around his cock, the vibration sending tingles down Baekhyun’s spine. “You like that?"

Chanyeol kept his hands busy, moving from the cock down to the balls and back up, tongue running alongside the shaft as he noisily sucked Baekhyun off. It was slightly awkward not having anything to hold on to, but it worked. Baekhyun tensed, pulling at Chanyeol’s hair tightly. “That’s enough, baby,” he said, and Chanyeol released him with a pop, panting heavily. Drool was dripping down his mouth and his hair was mussed up from all the tugging Baekhyun did—he looked absolutely blissed out even before they started. “Take off your clothes and bend over the couch’s arm,” Baekhyun demanded, stroking himself. Chanyeol acquiesced, but not before pulling a bottle of lube from under the couch. Baekhyun looked at him questioningly, and Chanyeol smiled sheepishly. “I sometimes jerk off here…”

Baekhyun groaned at the mental image of Chanyeol doing that on the couch, shaking his head. “I’ll watch you some day, but today’s not it,” he murmured, coating himself with a layer of lube. “Condom? Do you need prepping?” Chanyeol shook his head, causing Baekhyun to raise his brow. “I- I’ve been fingering myself a lot lately. No condom, I wanna feel you,” he stuttered, cheeks burning. “Can you just fuck me now?”

Baekhyun didn’t reply, opting to grant Chanyeol’s wish instead. He bent over Chanyeol and slid in slowly, loving the sensation of being engulfed by wet heat. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good,” he moaned when he was buried to the hilt. His hands wandered around Chanyeol’s body, stopping at his nipples to toy with them, twisting and pinching lightly. Chanyeol mewled, pushing his ass back into Baekhyun. “Don’t hold back, I wanna hear you,” Baekhyun coaxed, picking up speed as he thrusted into Chanyeol. His hands moved down to Chanyeol’s waist, holding him in place as he fucked him good.

“You like this, don’t you? Getting fucked in the living room where the people in the opposite building can see you, naked and thirsty for dick. You’re such a slut for me, aren’t you?” Baekhyun whispered in Chanyeol’s ear, enjoying how Chanyeol’s hole clenched around him. Chanyeol nodded his head frantically, hands gripping tightly onto the couch. Baekhyun was practically lying down on Chanyeol, thrusting hard, but he tried to lift some weight off of the younger. “Suck,” Baekhyun demanded, pushing his thumb into Chanyeol’s mouth, who happily did so. His tongue swirled around the thumb as he sucked on it, Baekhyun pushing it in and out surprisingly gently, but with a hint of roughness. He cheekily bit lightly on the thumb before sucking hard again, causing Baekhyun to growl. “Such a cockslut.  _ My  _ slut,” Baekhyun grunted, hips stuttering a little. 

“Say it. Say you’re mine,” he panted, pulling his thumb out to let Chanyeol speak. “I’m yours, sir, please claim me as your slut,  _ please, _ ” he breathed quickly, the words tumbling out, and that was enough for Baekhyun to cum, shuddering. He thrusted slowly, filling Chanyeol up with his cum as he fisted the younger’s neglected and leaking cock, squeezing and stroking it fast. “Cum baby, I know you want to,” Baekhyun drawled, watching as Chanyeol’s back arched beautifully, the couch likely stained. He stroked it for a few more seconds before stopping and pulling out slowly, staring at Chanyeol’s hole as it clenched around the air, the cum threatening to leak out. Baekhyun tsked, using a finger to push the flowing cum back in, tickling Chanyeol’s sensitive rim in the process. Chanyeol whined, wiggling his butt. “Baekhyun, please, I need a break,” he huffed, “it’s been too fucking long since I got real dick.”

“I’m too old for this too,” Baekhyun laughed, walking to Chanyeol’s bathroom. “Where are your towels at?” 

“Drawer, bottom left,” came the soft reply. He grabbed a couple of the small towels, prancing back into the living hall naked as a baby. Chanyeol had made himself comfortable on the couch, carefully avoiding the puddle of mess he made. Baekhyun smiled, ruffling Chanyeol’s hair as he sat on the couch’s arm beside Chanyeol, gently wiping the sheen of sweat off his body. He squatted down to get the bottom half of Chanyeol clean, cheekily kissing the inner corners of his thighs and sucking hickies into them, making the younger squirm and whimper. “Was it okay?” Baekhyun asked as he wiped Chanyeol’s butt.

“Okay? It was more than okay. It was everything I’d ever imagined and more,” Chanyeol gushed.

“Imagined, eh?” Baekhyun cooed, laughing when Chanyeol just swatted his hands away. Baekhyun wiped himself down with a new towel, discarding them into their pile of clothes. He sat on the couch with Chanyeol, motioning for the younger to lie against his chest. He carded his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair, enjoying the post-coital bliss. “Shower?”

“In a minute or two,” Chanyeol mumbled, eyes closed. Baekhyun nodded, even though he knew Chanyeol couldn’t see him. He pondered if he should ask Chanyeol about the incident, ultimately deciding to just do it. “You know… Do you wanna talk about...  _ it? _ ”

Chanyeol remained silent for a bit before sighing deeply. “Honestly, I would, one day in the near future, but not right now. I don’t wanna think about it now,” he said glumly. Baekhyun kissed his cheek, nuzzling his face into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck. “I get it. It’s okay. I’m here whenever you want to talk about it, or anything at all.”

“Thank you. Do you wanna… talk about your powers?” Baekhyun shook his head. “Maybe some other time.”

“Okay. I’m really glad you’re my FBI agent,” Chanyeol said, cuddling up to Baekhyun, both still completely naked. “Why’s that?” Baekhyun asked, curious. 

“I do a lot of weird shit in front of my cams. The first few months were hard for me, okay? Until I realised that it was you, then I stopped holding back,” Chanyeol confessed, entwining their fingers.

“You could’ve opted out of the program!”

“I knew I needed the protection! And I had half the mind to, until—surprise, surprise—found out it was you,” Chanyeol pouted. “Aww, so you stayed for me? Cute,” Baekhyun cooed, pinching Chanyeol’s cheek with his free hand.

“Shut up,” Chanyeol mumbled, getting up. “Let’s go and shower.”

“Round two?”

“No. Keep your hands to yourself.”

“Aww, okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [in case you can't imagine how they're fucking](https://imgur.com/a/VlPtJ)
> 
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> 
>  EDIT: Gift and Deepen are both songs by the insanely talented duo MeloMance, y’all should give them a listen!!! I love them ;_;
> 
> I'll probably add ~2 bonus chapters (if I can bloody remember what they were supposed to be about) thank u so much for reading and leaving kudos and comments TT I've read all of them and seriously they always make me smile ughhh i hate u all!!!!!
> 
> I actually wanted to delete this bc I was feeling disheartened but I decided to continue writing it after a while. I hope this chapter isn't a disappointment! uhh tell me what you think of this chapter? okay bye for now gonna sleep lol


	4. College Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unbeta'd. this is where baekhyun and chanyeol meet! kind of a filler chapter.
> 
> disclaimer: I don't know _anything_ about college or majoring in music. please disregard any factual discrepancies, thank you!

Baekhyun thanked the Gods that he was in his final year of college, because the past 2 years had been sheer  _ hell.  _ Sleepless nights, never-ending deadlines, persistent parents — the list was long. Not to mention, he wasn’t that passionate about music anymore. All the effort he put into his work, only to receive subpar grades was honestly quite demoralising, and he felt like maybe music wasn’t his calling.

He sighed to himself, flipping through the pages of music theory as he struggled to stay awake. The caffeine boost was barely keeping his eyes open, but he knew it wasn’t because he was tired, but rather because he wasn’t interested in the material. He rubbed his eyes, leaning back in his chair as he checked his phone for any notifications. He was more than surprised to see a notification, considering none of his friends texted him often and his social media accounts were pretty much dead, save for watching cute videos of dogs on Instagram.

He opened the message from Sehun, his childhood friend, and blew a raspberry when he saw the contents of the text.  _ You should come to my frat party. It’s good to go out sometimes. You can meet my new friends,  _ the text read. Sehun was two years younger than him, and he was his next-door neighbour for as long as Baekhyun could remember. He kinda expected Sehun to enter his college as well, but meeting his friends was… not expected. Baekhyun didn’t do well with new people, but if Sehun was asking, he didn’t have the heart to say no. Besides, school work was boring him.

_ Yeah,  _ he texted back.  _ Just send me the details.  _ He stared at the typing bubble on his screen, tapping his foot as he waited for Sehun to reply.

_ My frat in an hour, just dress nicely. There’s someone I want you to meet.  _ Baekhyun snorted. Of  _ course  _ Sehun was a frat boy. Sehun sent the name of his frat and rough directions in another text, and Baekhyun replied with a thumbs up emoji.

He rummaged through his closet to find something decent, deciding on a loose t-shirt and tight-fitting jeans, picking at his hair as he studied himself in the mirror. He bit his lip, thinking if he should do his make-up when he decided to just fuck it and put some eyeliner and eyeshadow on. He missed doing his make-up this nicely — a thick eyeliner with smokey eyes was his favourite look, but college and part-time jobs didn’t really allow time for any self pampering.

_ I’ll be there in 15, haven’t caught up with you in a while,  _ Baekhyun sent. He looked at his small collection of shoes, picking up his favourite pair of slightly worn out black boots and put them on. It had been long since he last hung out with anyone, because he was desperately trying to cling onto his average grades. His friends had stopped asking him out a long time ago, when they realised he was never gonna leave his room other than to work or go for classes. He didn’t exactly mind — less distractions for him — but it kinda hurt sometimes to know it was so easy to drop him.

Grabbing his phone and his coat, he left his apartment quietly, careful not to wake his housemates since it was late. He originally wanted to live in the dorms, but they were way more expensive than sharing rent with 2 other people in a nice, cozy apartment. Besides, curfew was annoyingly strict and working part-time at a bar did not help his case. 

Walking alone at night turned out to be somewhat therapeutic. The night was chilly and for once in a long while, he wasn’t running in the cold to get to work. He wrapped his arms around himself tightly as he made his way to Sehun’s fraternity, thinking if he should’ve just dropped his course the moment he felt uninterested. Perhaps accountancy was his calling… He shook his head to dispel the thought. He worked hard to get into the course, and he wasn’t gonna let some biased professor get in the way. When he reached his destination, he debated whether he should enter on his own or call for Sehun, but very quickly opted for the latter when he realised there was no way he could go solo without feeling like everyone was judging him.  _ I’m outside, _ he typed.  _ I’ll wait on the steps. _

He leaned against a pillar, looking around him. People were dressed casually, making him feel overdressed in his coat and jeans. He took off his coat, hanging it on his arm as he tapped his foot against the wooden flooring, eyes lighting up when Sehun came into his view. “You know, I definitely wasn’t expecting an immediate ‘yes’ from you when I asked you to come over,” Sehun mused, hugging Baekhyun in greeting.

Baekhyun smiled warmly at him as they separated, walking into the house. “I was curious. And also tired of music theory,” he replied. There were plenty of other driving factors, but he didn’t want to spoil Sehun’s mood. He was clearly excited for the party, and the last thing he probably wanted to hear was how lonely Baekhyun was.

“I know you aren’t big on parties, so here’s the key to my room if you ever feel like escaping the noise for a bit. You can sleep over or leave if you want to, but tell me if you wanna go so I can send you home, okay?” Sehun said.

“And  _ I’m  _ the hyung?” Baekhyun laughed. “Of course, Sehunnie. Thank you.”

“Just looking out for my favourite hyung,” Sehun shot back, grinning. He led Baekhyun up to his room, sitting on his bed as Baekhyun walked around the small place.

“I’ll be fine on my own, you don’t have to babysit me the entire night,” Baekhyun hinted, when Sehun made no move to leave him alone even though he looked like he really wanted to. Sehun frowned, as if unsure of leaving Baekhyun alone. “Are you sure? I could stay a little longer if you wanted me to,” he offered. “Positive.”

Sehun whistled lowly, getting up from his bed. “Okay, yell if you need me. Or don’t, because I probably won’t be able to hear you. Anyway, I have friends I want you to meet, so if you feel like socialising, call me. If you don’t, I’ll come up for you anyway,” he chirped.

“I’ll go out in a bit,” Baekhyun promised, earning a small smile from Sehun once again. Sehun closed the door behind him, leaving Baekhyun to admire his room. It was just like Sehun’s old room — posters on the walls and clothes strewn all over the floor. He laid on the bed, closing his eyes for a while before deciding to explore the place.

The party was  _ huge.  _ It was just like everything he imagined in a typical frat party; people dancing, drinking, dim lights and beer pong — were those  _ drugs _ ? Baekhyun sighed. It was noisy and stuffy and everything he hated in a social setting. It was ironic because he worked at a bar, but the pay was good and the bar itself wasn’t stuffy, just loud. He walked to the kitchen, grabbing himself a drink and squeezing past the sweaty bodies, heading towards the balcony. It had only been five minutes of exploration and he was already sick of it.

The chatter soon faded and he sighed in relief, enjoying the cool breeze of the night. With the balcony door closed, he could only hear the muffled sounds of laughter and music. Did he regret going to the party? Not really. It was a good opportunity to socialise, but he’d rather hang out with Sehun and not stand around by himself. He sipped on his beer, making a face at the taste. He was too accustomed to better brands, thanks to his workplace.

“Too bitter for your liking?” Baekhyun looked to his left to see a familiar face smiling at him. Why was the man smiling so brightly? Baekhyun shook his head, setting the solo cup down on the wooden railing.

“Too cheap,” Baekhyun replied. He sounded very much like a snob, but he was being honest about it. The taste was completely different from the premium ones he secretly snagged at work. The man laughed, standing beside Baekhyun as the two of them settled in the comforting silence.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Chanyeol,” the man introduced, grinning at Baekhyun. Baekhyun gave a small smile in return, glancing back to see if Sehun could save him from this interaction.

“I’m Baekhyun,” he replied,  _ and I want the ground to swallow me whole _ . Chanyeol wasn’t exactly a stranger to Baekhyun. The latter had seen him around campus before, and it was honestly quite hard not to notice him. He was tall, loud and charming, and pretty damn popular despite it only being 4 months into the new year. And from what he’d heard from the girls and guys fawning over him, he was  _ ‘100% boyfriend material! He’s so kind and sweet and ugh he’s so handsome!’  _ (Baekhyun couldn’t help but roll his eyes every time he heard that.)

“I know,” came the reply. Baekhyun looked at him, startled. “Sehun talks about you a lot, and he showed me a few photos. Hard to forget such a pretty face.”

Baekhyun’s cheeks burned as he looked away, embarrassed. “Sehun only has ugly ass photos of me!”

“Nah, I think they were cute as hell,” Chanyeol replied nonchalantly. Baekhyun gawked at him, the question ‘ _ Are you flirting with me?’ _ on the tip of his tongue, but he stayed quiet and chose to admire the night view instead.

“Sehun said you’re majoring in Music too,” Chanyeol commented as Baekhyun took a long sip of his lukewarm beer. He gagged, tossing the cup in the nearby bin. “Have my fruit punch instead. Why did you even get that if you can’t drink it?” Chanyeol laughed.

“I can,” Baekhyun huffed, trying to defend himself. “I work at a bar, I’ve tasted it all. But lukewarm beer? No thanks.” He took a sip of the drink offered to him, mumbling a word of thanks. “And yeah, I am. Not doing very well in music production and recording, but oh well. You’re studying music too?” Baekhyun asked, even though he already knew the answer was yes. He saw Chanyeol around the faculty a lot, and Sehun mentioned him a couple of times in passing. 

“Yeah!” Chanyeol said enthusiastically. “I’m the opposite of you, though. My recording modules have been a breeze, but my music theory isn’t too good. It’s so cool that Sehun knows a senior. How’s the course so far? Is it really as exciting as I thought it would be? It seems fine to me so far, but I’m afraid it’s just a honeymoon phase.”

Baekhyun was about to give a sarcastic response, but he heard the door open and couldn’t help but turn to look, and was relieved when he saw Sehun. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Chanyeol — it was because he liked the man a bit too much, considering they were only acquaintances — and he didn’t do very well around people he liked a lot, in a more-than-friends way. Chanyeol was definitely someone he was interested in.

“Hey, I was looking for you Baek, I swear I checked the balcony just now,” Sehun exclaimed, walking towards them. “Oh, hi Chanyeol. I see the two of you have finally met.”

“Yeah, when were you gonna introduce me to the elusive Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked, chuckling. Sehun pouted, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s neck as he rested his chin lazily on the older’s shoulder. “It’s not my fault that hyung is always so busy.”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” Baekhyun retorted, playfully pushing Sehun off of him. “Why were you looking for me? I’m not leaving yet, if that’s what you thought I was gonna do.”

“I wanted you to meet my friends — I see you’ve met one of them now — so we can go find the others and play some cards or something. Also, there were freshmen asking me about that hot guy who came in with me. Stop looking so good all the time,” Sehun grumbled, dragging Baekhyun along with him. Chanyeol trailed behind, quietly observing their friendship.

“You can complain to my mom and dad when we go back to visit. Tell them how their good genes annoy you to no end,” Baekhyun snorted, slightly embarrassed. He knew he wasn’t  _ bad _ -looking, but it was still flattering to hear people say nice things about him. Sehun only hummed in reply.

“Oh. Chanyeol, can you call the others up? Bring some drinks and snacks on your way back, let’s play some games in my room instead,” Sehun said to him when they reached his room. Chanyeol nodded, leaving them alone, but not before give Baekhyun a tiny smile. Sehun turned back to Baekhyun, closing the door behind him.

“Did you see it?”

Baekhyun frowned at Sehun, confused. “See what?”

Sehun rolled his eyes, sitting at the edge of his bed. “His  _ tattoo.  _ It’s on his neck.” Baekhyun mouthed an  _ O _ , shaking his head slowly.

“No. It was… dark. And his jacket’s collar kinda covers it,” Baekhyun explained, sitting next to Sehun. Sehun nodded his head in understanding. “Well, he was the main person I wanted you to meet, because of his powers and also because I know you’re interested in him-  _ don’t  _ even bother denying it. I see the way you perk up when I mention him and how you basically eyefuck him when you see him on campus.”

Baekhyun whined loudly, lying back on Sehun’s bed. “He’s nice. So far. And he’s really attractive, I can’t help but wanna get to know him. He’s exactly my type, Sehunnie, and you know how hard it is for me to agree that someone is good-looking! And what did he mean ‘elusive’?”

“Yeah, he is attractive, I guess. By your standards,” Sehun agreed, lying beside Baekhyun. “Come on Baek, everyone on campus wants to be your friend but all you do is immerse yourself in music. Your grades aren’t even  _ that _ bad — it’s just that one module that you got a B- in. I wouldn’t call As and A minuses ‘subpar’. Even your friends can’t get to you sometimes.”

“I just wanna do well,” Baekhyun moaned, burying his face in Sehun’s chest. “Remember how I fucked up my GPA in my first year, and only started getting good grades in the second half of year two? If I don’t do well this time round, my cGPA is gonna fail me. My parents are gonna be so disappointed in me  _ again. _ ”

Sehun slinged an arm around Baekhyun, comforting him. “That doesn’t mean you can’t make friends and have some quality time to yourself. I’m sure your friends are worried about your health. Come on man, loosen up a little.”

Baekhyun hmph-ed childishly, opting to stay quiet. He closed his eyes, basking in the attention Sehun was feeding him. “Am I… are we interrupting something?”

He groaned internally, sitting up immediately. “No, you weren’t. Sorry, that must’ve been awkward to see, but there’s nothing going on between us, I swear,” Baekhyun explained, getting up.  _ Why the hell are you even explaining yourself,  _ he mentally chided himself. Chanyeol came in with a few other guys, all of them seemingly curious as to what they just witnessed.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol replied, laughing nervously. “It’s none of my business anyway.” For some reason, that stung, but Baekhyun smiled brightly at him, even as he deflated a little.

“Hey guys,” Sehun stepped in, saving Baekhyun from the embarrassment. “This is Baekhyun. He’s my childhood friend and he’s our senior. Baekhyun, this is Jongin, Yixing and Kyungsoo. Jongin and Yixing are first years too, but Kyungsoo is a senior like you. Hey, that rhymed,” he added proudly. Baekhyun fought the urge to roll his eyes. He waved weakly at the others, smiling a little as they waved back.

“So,” Chanyeol announced, clapping his hands together, “I suggest we play Game of Life, because it’s like Monopoly, but quicker  _ and  _ less blood will be shed.” Everyone groaned at the suggestion, prompting Chanyeol to pout and ask if anyone had better suggestions, to which Sehun suggested Truth or Dare.

“That’s so fucking lame and overdone,” Baekhyun said quickly, glaring at Sehun. He  _ knew _ how much Baekhyun hated the game but he still suggested it. Baekhyun was a pretty private person, so he didn’t have much of a choice when it came to Truth or Dare — the game was basically just ‘Dare’ to him. Sehun raised his hands in mock surrender, smirking. “Okay, then let’s play Never Have I Ever.”

  
  
  
  


And that was how Baekhyun found himself too drunk to go home. It wasn’t like he was completely inebriated, but he definitely couldn’t see straight enough to get home on his own. The others weren’t too far off, with Jongin and Yixing sleeping on the floor, and Sehun and Kyungsoo just leaning against the wall, whispering to each other — probably not as tipsy. Baekhyun looked around the room sleepily, yawning. He wanted to go back to his apartment, where he was more comfortable at, but he just couldn’t bring himself to.

“I brought snacks,” Chanyeol spoke, entering the room quietly. “You look sleepy as hell. Don’t you wanna go home?”

“Chasing me away so soon?” Baekhyun shot back, slightly offended and really tired, but Chanyeol was quick to deny it. “No, of course I didn’t mean it that way. I would want you to stay, but the only reason you’re awake right now is probably because you prefer your own bed.”

Baekhyun sighed, closing his eyes. “You’re right. I can only sleep in my own bed,” he replied, voice hushed, a tinge of frustration seeping in. “I’m not like, so sleepy that I can’t walk home, you know? I’m just… it’s not safe to go alone and Sehun’s had a bit much to drink too,” he said softly. “I might just call a cab even though I live a 10-minute walk away.”

“Here, drink up first,” Chanyeol murmured, handing a bottle of water to Baekhyun, who gratefully gulped down the water. “I’ll walk you home.” Baekhyun nearly choked on his water, coughing a little.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll get a cab, but thanks for your offer,” Baekhyun declined, but Chanyeol was not having it. “No  _ way _ you’re gonna spend money on a cab just to cross the damn street. I practically bailed on that game, just let me take you home. Besides, having a tall and menacing friend helps,” Chanyeol insisted, putting on his best angry-face. Baekhyun laughed — the man only looked like a harmless puppy. He gave in, happy that Chanyeol cared about getting him home safe. “Alright.”

He grabbed his coat and keys, kissing Sehun on the cheek as he left, saying goodbye to them. Chanyeol followed closely behind, his arms gently guiding Baekhyun around the almost-empty house.

The walk was silent at first. At 3 in the morning, there were barely any cars on the roads or people walking about. It was basically just the two of them in the dim street lights, the sounds of their shoes tapping against the concrete pavement. Baekhyun had his hands stuck in his coat pockets, walking alongside Chanyeol who was softly whistling to a tune he hadn’t heard before.

Feeling brave, Baekhyun took a peek at Chanyeol to see if he could spot the tattoo on his neck, but to no avail. Instead, Baekhyun admired the smooth jawline and his bowlike lips, itching to run his fingers over them. He looked away, sighing inaudibly. He was lusting so hard after a guy he barely knew. Chanyeol was  _ exactly _ his type, but was Baekhyun his?

“Sooooo, how’s life?” Chanyeol asked. Baekhyun snorted at the weak attempt at conversation, but played along anyway. “Life is good. You?”

“Oh yeah, life is great. I’m walking home with this really cute guy now and I’m hoping we can become really good friends, you know?” Chanyeol replied, smiling bashfully at Baekhyun.

“Park Chanyeol, are you flirting with me, a guy you barely even know? A guy you just met literally 3 hours ago?” Baekhyun teased, the alcohol in his system taking over.

“I take my chances,” Chanyeol answered, stopping in his tracks as Baekhyun did. Baekhyun smiled warmly at him, shaking his head.

“What made you take up music?” Baekhyun asked out of curiosity, unintentionally slurring his words. If he was being honest, Chanyeol looked nothing like the kind of person who would study music.

“Because I like music,” Chanyeol simply replied. “I like every aspect of it. Singing, composition, recording, everything. I’m not good at singing but I would say I’m a pretty decent composer-  _ yes,  _ even though my music theory sucks. I was self-taught up till now. I have a SoundCloud if you wanna hear something,” he beamed at Baekhyun, who playfully rolled his eyes.

“Of  _ course  _ you have a SoundCloud. Be sure to link me,” Baekhyun drawled.

“You gotta give me your number first,” Chanyeol deadpanned, making Baekhyun snicker. He passed Chanyeol his phone, prodding the younger to key in his number, which he did pretty quickly. Calling the number, Baekhyun hung up once he heard Chanyeol’s phone ring. “Now you have my number,” Baekhyun smiled at him.

The conversation was kept light and simple, both of them asking basic questions like which province they were from and choosing between cats and dogs  _ (definitely dogs, Baek. They’re like angels sent down from Heaven to watch over us.)  _ — it was a shame they reached Baekhyun’s apartment flat too soon for their liking.

“Well, this is where I live,” he said. “Wait, it’s already past curfew, how are you gonna get back?”

“Sneak in, of course!” Chanyeol exclaimed, as if appalled Baekhyun would even ask such a question. Baekhyun shook his head, refusing to accept his answer. “Sleep over for the night. You can take my bed and I’ll take the sofa, it’s late and I don’t want you to risk getting caught,” Baekhyun demanded. Chanyeol seemed to think about it for a while before agreeing without protest. Baekhyun smiled, leading him up to his apartment.

“Make yourself at home, but be quiet, my housemates are all asleep,” Baekhyun whispered, getting the couch ready for himself.

“It’s okay, Baek, I’ll take the couch,” Chanyeol began, but Baekhyun only shook his head, refusing to look at the taller. “Just take the bed, Chanyeol. The couch is too small for you.”

Chanyeol placed his hand over Baekhyun’s, stopping him. “It’s okay. I’ll take the couch,” he insisted, gently pushing Baekhyun back to his room. “I’ll be out of here before you know it. Good night, and thanks for letting me crash.” With that, Chanyeol closed his door, leaving Baekhyun alone to ponder over the night’s events.

“Good night, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun whispered to the closed door. It may have seemed a little crazy to trust Chanyeol this much when they barely even knew each other, but Baekhyun just  _ knew.  _ He just knew Chanyeol was someone he could trust and rely on, and maybe, just maybe, Chanyeol felt the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're wondering why baekhyun only acted on his feelings years later even when chanyeol was obviously flirting with baekhyun, it's because there were plenty of miscomms (after this party) that I _most likely_ will write later on. I just really wanted to add another chapter to modern flame because it was so well received ^^ thank you all so much for your kind comments! if there's anything you like/dislike/wish to see, do let me know in the comments (god i sound like a youtuber)
> 
> also come be my friend on twitter: @xiubokki! bonus points if you play overwatch~
> 
>  
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> p.s. i took part in bae, please look forward to reveals & remember to leave kudos and comments on fics u enjoy!!


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